Turntable
by UmLikeYeah
Summary: I wrote this a few years ago and decided to post the first part. It's an alternate universe story that sees what would have happened if Logan Echolls was ostracized from the beginning, rather than Veronica Mars.
1. Chapter 1

I wrote this a few years ago and decided to post the first part. It's a alternate universe story that sees what would have happened if Logan Echolls was ostracized from the beginning, rather than Veronica Mars.

-1-

Logan Echolls learned, long ago, how to take it. Even before the scandal and the subsequent "witchery by association". He was nothing if not adaptable. On his bleaker days, he was nothing. And though he could take it, he also knew how to throw a few back in the opposite direction. He experienced his fair share of bloodied lips and bruised limbs from knowing the difference with fellow classmates. People always thought the sons of rich families were prissies - delicate things buffeted from manhood by a thick wad of Benjamins. Sure, his hand were smooth and uncalloused; he'd never known an honest day's work in his life and maybe he'd indulged in a manly manicure or two. But his opponents were always surprised at how a prissy, pampered son of a movie star, jackass like Logan Echolls could absorb a punch like a brick wall. And always with such relish. Truth be told, many of them never measured up.

They lost everything. Lynn tried to go back into the business, but no reputable director or producer wanted her in their movies. Logan knew she thought she didn't have a choice; despite his many attempts to dissuade her, Lynn ended up posing as the centerfold for the lurid men's magazine that Logan himself used to paw through. The thought of seeing his mother naked made him ill; despite the large reserve he had during challenging times, even he couldn't stomach going to school the day the rag was out on the newstands. Instead of boosting Lynn's career, it only furthered the notoriety of the Echolls' name and reputation. Trina, bless her, didn't waste a second in reverting back to her mother's maiden name, especially after the family coffers dried up. Sliding deeper into the pocket of debt, Lynn and Logan were forced to move out of the illustrious 090909 neighborhood, settling in an apartment complex that was ironically and inappropriately named "Windsor Expanse". In the new apartment, Logan couldn't turn around without bumping into his mother - whenever she wasn't off filming a B-movie for the next self-proclaimed Steven Spielberg wannabe. Without the luxury of Senora Navarro to cook and clean for them anymore, Lynn would buy groceries in bulk, cooking up a storm when she was home and freezing everything in single serve portions. If she had the time, while on location, she would mail over a Ziplock of cookies. Lynn was overcompensating, he knew. He wished he had some sort of skill to contribute to the family finances, other than taxing his mother's nerves when she had to pull him out of Van Clemmonns' office from yet another scuffle. He really should make her life easier but he was still enough of a punk not to care about making anyone else's life easier when he still had so much pent up emotions inside.

All of this was swirling in his head when he was pulled over late one night. It wasn't a rare occasion for ass hat deputies like Lamb to stop him over bullshit reasons and give him a hard time. He stopped giving lip after a few tickets - honestly, he couldn't afford it, and, it shamed him to admit it.

"License and registration, please." It didn't take Logan a long time to realize the mighty Sheriff himself had come to haggle with the poor Echolls kid. He glared at the Sheriff and pulled out the necessary paperwork in angry but controlled movements. Logan didn't want to give him any excuses for firing the gun strapped to his body.

"Do you know how fast you were driving above the speed limit, Mr. Echolls?"

"No, but it must have been pretty fast for Sheriff Mars to have pulled me over. What's the damage, Sheriff?"

Quietly, Keith Mars said, "Fifteen, Mr. Echools. You were doing 60 in a 45-miles-per-hour zone." He made no move to write out the ticket; he kept fingering the corner of Logan's ID card whith the tip of his pointer finger.

"Well, you know what they say, Sheriff: like father, like son - can't keep the foot off the gas pedal." Of course he was referring to the absurdity of Aaron Echolls who, upon hearing he would be charged and arrested for murder, had taken off in his car in some sad OJ Simpson parody. Logan supposed it was Aaron's attempt to make it into Tijuana. It all ended on a rather flat note for him, though - Aaron hadn't remembered to fill the tank and was caught ten minutes later, trying to pump gas at the Sack 'n' Pack. Comedians and the press had a field day over the whole affair.

"I hear you're getting into a lot of fights in school, son. I know things have been rough…" Logan tuned out the rest of Sheriff Mars' words. Who would have told him… who else but Veronica Mars? Lilly's confidant, when Lilly was alive. Duncan Kane's ex-girlfriend. The sweet darling angel of Neptune High. Logan really wanted to smash her face in.

"Word through the grapevine, Sheriff, is there's a rough patch inside the Mars household, too. Care to open up?" He struck gold - he could see the shutters closing down in the other man's eyes.

"Logan, I understand what you're going through is not easy. Please understand, this is not how I wanted your family's situation to end up."

"I'm sorry, where were you when they were handcuffing Aaron and my mother was being eviscerated by reporters and surrounded by paparazzi? Oh wait, you were the one leading Aaron away."

Sheriff Mars sighed. "I'm not happy with the ways things turned out. I always liked your mother - she's a nice woman and neither of you deserve this." He scribbled on his notepad as he spoke the words. "Believe it or not, there are people in Neptune looking out for you. You just have to get that chip off your shoulder first." He tore the ticket out of the pad and handed it to Logan. Through the rearview mirror, Logan watched the sheriff return to his vehicle and drive away, presumably on his way home. He looked down at the ticket in his hand, but it turned out to be an ordinary piece of notepad paper. His eyebrows lifted in surprise at the message scrawled on it.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi Readers! If you're following my story and see two emails about this new chapter, it's because I made some post-published changes to the story (mostly minor.) Feel free to review and give me feedback on what you think of the story so far!

-2-

Veronica Mars wasn't a dummy. Her mother was pulling out all the stops that night - the pork loin was roasting in the oven, and a still-warm strawberry rhubarb pie was on the kitchen counter. It kicked Veronica's salivary glands into overdrive - there was nothing more enticing than her mother's homemade strawberry rhubarb pie but Veronica's suspicions were immediately aroused. Lianne wanted to get on Veronica's good side so she could fortify her relationship with Keith. The past year had taken a toll on relationships all around. It had brought to light those that had already started to bend - before the town took sides over Lilly's murder. Once upon a time, Veronica would find herself thinking, everything was perfect. Or seemed perfect. Now she questioned her memory's reliability. When things grew challenging, everything fell apart, almost too easily.

"Honey, come set the table. Your father's going to be home soon." Veronica wanted to scoff at her mother's Norman Rockwell-esque tone of voice but instead stood up from her groove in the couch and headed to the china cupboards. She didn't know what had gotten into her lately - except for the gaping Lilly-sized hole, her life was almost back to normal. Almost.

Her father arrived home fifteen minutes later. He gave Veronica a kiss on the forehead and an awkward one on Lianna's cheek. Whatever fluid grace they used to possess around each other had vanished. They operated in fits and starts, like strangers playing pretend. The tense silence that ensued when they were seated for dinner made that all the more apparent. Keith was the first to speak. "I pulled over Logan Echolls for speeding on my way home tonight." Veronica knew better than to react. She didn't meet Keith's eyes and continued to silently poke at her food as Lianne made the responding inquiries about Logan. "That boy is a seething ball of resentment", Keith said. "Given the treatment he's received from this town, I'm not sure I wouldn't be a mess, too."

They knew just how close they had come to a reversal of situation with the Echolls family. After all, it was Veronica who informed Keith of Lilly's secret stash in the air vent - leading to the discovery of the Aaron Echolls sex tapes and his subsequent arrest. But there had been a moment, for about a day or so, where eyes turned towards the Mars in suspicion. It was insinuated, loudly, that Keith Mars was using the scandal for his own personal gain. It pained Veronica to see her best friend remembered by the rest of the world as the "Echolls passaround hussy" (she couldn't bring herself to repeat the more offensive names she'd read and heard.) It pained her equally to see Logan treated so poorly - Dick Casablancas and his cronies hadn't waited a day to pounce on Logan, taunting him in person and online. That first week, he spent every single afternoon engaged in parking lot brawls; showing up bruised and battered the following morning. Since his fall from grace, she tried to reach out to him but Logan rebutted her attempts to resume the friendship. The last time she tried was at Shelley Pomeroy's end-of-year party. He'd shown up, already drunk and belligerent. It didn't stop him from drinking his way through the party while being rejected by nearly every person he encountered, including Duncan. Veronica didn't know how he took himself home; he was passed out when she left the party.

Once upon a time, everything was perfect. Duncan and herself, Logan and Lilly. The perfect couples living the perfect Southern Californian life. It was supposed to last forever. Lilly wasn't supposed to die - Veronica couldn't help the wave of anger she felt at Lilly (_How could Lilly be so_ _selfish? She ruined everything!_) that was quickly washed away with stinging shame. She and Duncan weren't supposed to break up - but after everything that had happened, she knew they were done. She'd accepted it, could even be cordial with the boy she once loved deeply. But how could she not? Would he turn on her too, the way he did with Logan? No, Veronica knew she was not the same person anymore. They couldn't go back, which was why it was so laughable watching Lianne doing all she could to preserve something that didn't exist anymore and that perhaps never had in the first place. It would be so laughable if Veronica wasn't so close to the verge of tears. Lilly's death was a stone dropped in a still pond; there was no doubt they would feel the ripples for a long time to come.

"It sounds like you want to do something about it", Veronica said, finally looking up from her dinner plate.

Keith nodded. "I do. I am going to do something."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Keith?" Lianne held up her hands as two pairs of eyes swiveled to her. Hastily, she explained, "Not that it's not the right thing to do. But, hear me out. From what I remember, he was out of control even before everything happened. Don't you want to at least consider that you might be taking on more than you can swallow?"

"How can you say something like that?" In her imagination, Veronica saw Lilly smirking at her sense of outrage, all but saying: _Guilty much, Ver-on-ica? _It didn't stop her from continuing on. "What if I were in Logan's shoes? Wouldn't you want someone looking out for me? You don't even know how bad it is for him in school. The things his 'friends' say and do…" Keith laid a hand on Veronica's arm. She gave him an equally accusatory look. "Don't tell me you don't know, Dad. Or agree. I know you feel the same way I do."

"Veronica," Lianne's tone was conciliatory. Like she was talking down a skittish colt. "I know you're upset. I'm not saying we shouldn't help him out, I'm just saying…"

"I know exactly what you're saying. I would like to be excused from this table." When Lianne looked like she wanted to say more, Veronica squeezed her eyes shut and kicked off from her chair. "_Please_."

Her mother's posture slumped, for a moment, and she almost looked ready to acknowledge the truth of their situations. That would have been preferable to what she actually did - which was give Veronica a bright smile. "Of course, honey. I'll save you a slice of pie."

Keith and Lianne watched Veronica pull away and return upstairs to her bedroom. They heard the door slam shut. Lianne cleared her throat and drank from her glass of water. She squeezed Keith's hand. "Teenagers, right? Next week, she won't even remember we had this conversation."

Keith could only give a small nod of his head; they finished dinner in silence, each lost in their own troubled thoughts.

* * *

The following Monday after school let out, Logan found himself voluntarily and without reason, walking into the Sheriff's department. When he announced himself to the woman at the front desk, she told him that Keith Mars was wrapping up a meeting and gestured him to wait. Deputy Lamb walked by - they shared a look of mutual dislike but managed to restrain themselves from any outright confrontation.

Before Logan could talk himself into walking out, Keith appeared and ushered him behind closed doors. "I'm glad you decided to take me up on my offer. It's not going to be the most exciting job, but it'll keep you busy." Keith was sure Logan was aware working in the Sheriff's office would provide him with a slight buffer. The boy sat in front of him, slouched into the chair. An air of entitlement (or pride?) had yet to be stripped from Logan. It reminded Keith of a family vacation taken the year before Veronica started high school. The three of them spent a week in the deep South, touring plantations. In spite of the terrible foundation upon which these structures were built, they were still a marvel to behold, even coming from a town which did not suffer from a lack of grand houses. Logan was like one of those old mansions that had fallen on hard times and was crumbling, piece by piece. Veronica had been obsessed with photographing the decaying buildings - she said it was infinitely more interesting than the well-maintained ones.

"Why are you doing this? The Sheriff's office has not been known to be particularly kind to the Echolls."

"Why?" Keith leaned in. "Because I remember when you used to come over and my wife would make you a sandwich and you'd say, 'Thank you, Mrs. Mars.' That's why."

Logan dropped his eyes. He was silent for a full minute. Keith could see the internal struggle. He kept silent as well, all but willing Logan to accept his help. Finally, the young man nodded, slowly. His voice sounded rusty, as if it had been hours instead of minutes since he last used it. "Where, uh, where do you want me to start?"


	3. Chapter 3

Hi Readers!

Thank you to all of you who commented and have decided to follow this story! I'm glad you find this take on the TV show refreshing. I have lots of ideas and new twists/perspectives lined up - so bear with me as I create the backdrop to get to those twists and new perspectives. So far, these chapters are coming in fast but I will eventually slow down and post less frequently. My goal, however, is to be able to post one new chapter every 7-10 days.

Also, in case you were wondering, I do plan for LoVe (eventually), and, Veronica should feature more prominently in the next and future chapters.

Happy Reading!

**-3-**

The Sheriff wasn't lying. The work was mind-numbing - faxing, filing, and, even the occasional order for coffee. The last came from Deputy Lamb and his cop friends, but that stopped after Logan substituted the sugar with salt and hinted at other unwelcome additives in their cup of joe. He even received a paycheck - once upon a time, he would have been both amused and appalled at the measly earnings but nowadays it meant gas in his car. The other great thing? The deputies stopped pulling him over and issuing tickets for dubious reasons.

Despite his access to the inner-workings of the police enforcement system, Logan was unable to find any files or reports referencing Lilly. It didn't stop him from combing through all the drawers he could unlock. Maybe Sheriff Mars suspected. Hell, it was more than obvious. "I've never seen anyone so eager to file like you," Keith remarked wryly when Logan volunteered to return (a third time) in the same day to the aptly named "rat room". After a few weeks of fruitlessly searching for references to the Echolls or Kanes, Logan began reading the paperwork he was handling in earnest. He found the memos summarizing cases the most interesting; they provided insight into the inner workings of each officer. Keith's reports, for instance, were meticulously detailed and provided rationales for the outcomes of his investigations. Lamb's were often handwritten and generally never extended beyond two paragraphs.

When Lynn came home for a few days' rest from her three-week shoot, she was surprised at the turn-of-events. "Are you sure you can handle the extra responsibility? I don't want your schoolwork to suffer."

He was unable to contain his laughter. "Mom, believe me, my grades can't get any worse."

She walked up to him and had to tilt her head up to look him in the eye. "When did you grow taller than me? Look at you, almost a man", she said and patted him on his cheek. "But you're not yet and it's my job to take care of you. I want you to enjoy your childhood, what little of it there is left."

Logan squirmed away, this time clearing his throat to quell the sudden tightness. "Mom, you are taking care of me."

She shook her head. "I wasn't always there for you. I'm sorry about those times…I couldn't…but I should have done… something..."

"I don't want to talk about it, Mom." His voice was low, emphatic. He did not want to open that dark door ever again. "I mean it. It's done. We're through it."

She took in his tense stance. He hadn't just grown taller, she realized sadly. She couldn't undo the past and Aaron's effect on their family, but maybe this was a new beginning. Maybe there could still be something salvageable that she could show her son. Maybe he could grow into a more careful person than she and Aaron had ever been. Her eyes were watery but she managed to keep the tears in. "Ok. Who's hungry?"

* * *

Slowly, Logan learned to ignore the under-the-breath insults, the glares and the whispers. Most kids at school kept their distance, especially when he refused to change his shirt or wash up after a fight in the courtyard. Finally, some sophomore had the temerity to ask if his shirt was stained with blood. "Some of it might even be mine." He said it, _Fight Club_-style. That earned him a half-day suspension from Van Clemmons, but the vice principal was surprisingly glib about the incident. "I get it, Mr. Echolls. But you're starting to creep out the teachers."

Only a few refused to quit the taunting. Among them was Pete Sanders, his former swim team mate. "Your mom's got some sweet juicy ass, bro. Tell me, is it all Photoshop? Hey, why don't you introduce me to her? I'll bet those nights are cold and lonely in the 090903 neighborhood."

"Is this about the time I beat you in the 7th grade swim competition? You've got to let it go." Logan patted his hand a little too forcefully on Sanders' shoulder. "Bro."

Sanders leaned in. He looked like a hyena about to make a kill. Unlike the other boys, Sanders wasn't one to back down from any fights, no matter how bad the odds. "Tell your slut mom I'll make it with her while. Your slut girlfriend certainly didn't turn me away for a few pieces of bling."

Logan grabbed Sanders by the collar and cracked his forehead into the other boy's nose. He grinned when he felt the cartilage give. Sanders let out a sharp howl and threw himself into Logan. They fell to the ground, fists swinging into each other's body in a mad flurry. Lilly, however infuriating she had been and whatever faults she possessed, would remain his first love. No one, not even his father, would take that away from him. That was how he managed to get through her death, the details and the reasons behind her murder, the trial and the loss of everything familiar in his life. Of all the emotions he felt towards her, anger took up the least amount of space. It was his fault, of that he was sure. If he had been enough for her, none of this would have happened.

The security guard left her post and pulled him by the back of his t-shirt while a teacher did the same with Sanders. "Ok, enough, Echolls! Look at him!"

Sanders face was streaming blood, mostly from the broken nose. It dribbled messily down the middle of his shirt. Logan felt his left eye swelling and one of his back teeth rattled. "It's never enough."

"All right, all right", the guard said. "Save it for Clemmons and your mom." It was then that Logan remembered Lynn had returned to her shoot, leaving early in the morning to beat the L.A. traffic.

Half an hour later, Logan sat outside of Clemmons' office, holding an ice pack to his face. Sanders' parents had picked him up more than ten minutes ago, giving him a dirty look as they passed. "Hey."

Logan peeled open his unbattered eye. The student working in the office was unfamiliar. "What?"

"You're bleeding all over the furniture, man. Here." The student worker placed a first-aid kit in the empty seat beside Logan before disappearing into a back room.

The door to the administration office opened not long after. A familiar figure from his childhood stepped in. "Aye Dios Mio, Nito", Mrs. Navarro said, with a reproachful tone. She swatted his ineffectual hands away and began to properly clean his wounds. "Que vamos a hacer contigo?"

He fought against visibly flinching as she applied a cotton-ball liberally dosed with alcohol on an open cut. "I promise you can lay into me all you want later, but, for now, I just want to get out of here." He gave her his most winning smile. It was difficult to do with a split lower lip. "Por favor, Abuela."

"Why do you only call me 'Abuela' when you want something from me?" There was no sting in her voice, though. She loved it when he called her that.

"Because that's what grandmothers do. Loganito necessita la ayuda de su abuela."

She pursed her lips and shook her head but Logan knew he'd won. He watched her march into Clemmons' office. When she came out, she gave him a frazzled look. "Between you and Eli, all my hair is going to turn white and fall out. Don't think I'm not telling your mother. Vamos, let's get you home. I'll make you dinner. You keep getting skinnier every time I see you."

As they headed out into the parking lot, Logan said, "Another time. Maybe. I have to run some errands but I can drop you off."

Leticia Navarro stopped walking. She put her hands on her hips. "I've seen you get into and out of too much monkey business to knowl when you're lying. Why don't you want me going to your home?"

He knew the best tactic was to persist. "Abuela, I would love for you to come to my home. I'll even cook for you when you do. That's right, I said the four-letter word. Cook. I'm just really, really busy today. I have to go work, I have to finish my school assignments, I have so much to do…" He was speaking rapidly and gently nudging her to his car. "Come on, your family's probably wondering where you disappeared off to. "

She relented and he drove her home, which was located in the outskirts of Neptune. He parked the car alongside the curb outside her house. Although it was small, its exterior was well-maintained with a bright coat of paint and a small garden of flowering plants in the front. It must have taken her at least two public buses to get to Neptune High. "I know you didn't have to, uh, you know, but… thank you. It meant… it means... a lot to me." The words, to Logan at least, seemed to come out of his mouth stilted and forced. Being grateful and feeling humbled were still relatively new sensations for him.

She held his hand. "Nito, you don't ever have to feel ashamed in front of me. It doesn't matter how much money you have, what kind of car you drive, or, how big your house is." She touched his forehead and then the spot above his heart. "Inside is what counts. You remember that."

"What if my insides are like… his? My father's?" It was his greatest fear - waking up sometime in the not-so-distant future and seeing Aaron Echolls grinning back in the mirror.

Leticia smiled. "You're not."

"But how do you know?"

She shrugged. "I just do. You'll see. You'll be challenged one day and you'll know for yourself too."

Little did Logan know that the challenge Leticia foresaw would come the following week.


	4. Chapter 4

**-4-**

In retrospect, Logan realized his first mistake on Monday morning was succumbing to his own curiosity. The size of the crowd gathered by the flagpole was unusual, to say the least. His initial instinct led him two steps away from the ruckus towards the interior of the school. Two steps more and then, even as he was shaking his head, he was spinning on his heel and moving directly into the eye of storm.

"Veronica!"

She turned at the sound of her name as she emerged from her car. She smiled. "Meg. Good morning."

Meg gestured towards the crowd with a dismissive flick of her hand. "The hooligans have struck. Again."

Veronica looked over at the flagpole. A break in the line of her vision showed a boy duct-taped to the pole. He wasn't wearing any clothes. She brought her hand up to her mouth. "Who is that?"

"Walter? No, Wallace something. He's in one of my classes." They both inched forward for a clearer view. "It's horrible, isn't it?"

"Let's tell someone at the office", Veronica said as a chorus of boos broke out from the crowd. Meg's puzzled facial expression mirrored her own; without a word, they headed into the melee.

There was a two-foot radius between the flagpole and onlookers, the center of which Walter/Wallace Something was tightly bound. More than a few students had their camera phones out to capture the boy's misery. Logan realized his second mistake was crossing that no-man's land. He should have known better, as the son of a infamous movie star. It should have been ingrained in him to avoid the spotlight. But, no. The idea of leaving the boy to the hyenas made him feel _icky_.

Veronica saw Logan turn around and scan the crowd. His lip was curled; she took advantage of her tiny stature to duck behind someone taller as his gaze swung in her vicinity. "What is this, a pep rally? Shouldn't someone be chanting 'Go Pirates' then? No? Show's over, folks." Logan somehow looked unconcerned and menacing at the same time. He stayed until the crowd had fully dispersed - he also discovered clothes that were tossed into a nearby garbage can. While the boy dressed himself behind a car, Logan waited.

"Thanks, man. That was cool of you. I'm Wallace." He struck out a hand.

Logan absentmindedly clasped the other boy's hand and chest-bumped him. "Logan Echolls." He recognized Wallace as the student worker from the administration office last week.

"Oh, you're Logan Echolls?" Wallace's expression was equal parts perturbed and starstruck.

"The one and only. Being seen around me isn't going to fill your dance card."

Wallace nodded. "Maybe. Probably. But I have to ask myself two questions - do I want to hang out with the kids who laughed and took pictures of me? Or, do I want to hang out with the one decent person who cut me loose?"

"Your funeral. In any case, your days are pretty numbered, as it is. What'd you do to end up as the PCH'ers flagpole ornament of the month, anyway?"

"How'd you know it was the PCH'ers?"

"They're not, what you call, 'creative' when it comes to making examples out of people", Logan said as they entered the school together.

"I work at the Sack 'n' Pack. Last night I was working by myself. Couple of those guys came in. They just walked right to the back of the store and started stuffing all these forties into their pockets. So I hit the silent alarm. That's when the police came."

"We don't have police here. We have a Sheriff's department", he said as he noticed Veronica observing them at a close distance. He couldn't help himself. While tipping an imaginary hat at her, he said, "Looking fine today, Ms. Mars." He had the pleasure of seeing the red creep up from her neck before she spun away, in what he supposed was indignation.

Wallace explained how the PCH'ers were then arrested and how Deputy Lamb saw through his lie of hitting the silent alarm. "This morning, the PCH'ers were waiting for me."

"Of course they were. You better keep a low profile. The PCH'ers aren't known to be forgetful."

"Hey, why'd you help out anyway? I'm grateful, but, from the stories I've heard, it doesn't exactly seem like your M.O."

Logan scowled. "What, are you a shrink? Are you trying to get me to say I have daddy issues? Do you want me to duct tape you back on the flagpole? No? Then, just leave it at thank you."

Wallace didn't seem the least bit affected by Logan's act. He grinned and said, "Ok, man. Enough that you did it. I'm headed this way." He pointed at the eastern corridor. "Lunch is on me, ok?"

"I don't eat lunch with anyone!" He gritted his teeth as Wallace gave him a look that clearly expressed that was about to change.

His next mistake was actually having lunch with Wallace - and for that 45-minute period, feeling like he had a friend again.

* * *

Wallace wasn't the only person waiting for him that day. "All of a sudden, I'm popular again", he noted as he made his way to his car after the last school bell had rung.

"Who do you think you are, white boy?", Weevil said. "You still think you're the king of Neptune? You think if I decide to take you out right now, a line of rich 09er boys will save your sorry ass?"

"One: take your chances. You might 'take me out', but you're going to lose a couple of your boys in the process. Two: Are you auditioning to be a Shark? Should I be expecting Officer Krupke or a Jet to show up at any moment?"

Weevil stepped up to Logan until they were nearly nose-to-nose. He gave a short, humorless laugh. "Yeah, you're a real tough guy, aren't you? Tough guy quoting show tunes. Now when I'm making an example of someone, the last thing I want is to have someone else cut him loose before I say it's over. Normally, this forces me to do yet another unpleasant act. But I gotta admit, I'm going to enjoy this a lot."

Logan folded his arms across his chest. "Stop your yapping already. Are you here to fight or buy my vote?" He dropped his schoolbag and shed his jacket with ease, shoulders bunching as the adrenaline spread throughout his body. Several PCH'ers circled around him but he knew they would wait for the leader to throw the first punch.

"Um, hello?" A pale hand emerged through two leather-clad PCH'ers. Logan was certain the dismay on Weevil's face was also on his own. Veronica was tucking a blond strand of hair behind one ear as she cradled a cellphone against the other one. "Yeah, it's not working. I'm at the school parking lot. Thanks, Dad." She disconnected and looked innocently at the boys around her. "The Sheriff's coming to pick me up in a few minutes", she said, calmly. "Maybe you should call off whatever you guys were thinking about doing."

Weevil gave her a slow once-over as he invaded her personal space. Logan had to admire her stoic response. "Veronica Mars", Weevil said, drawing out the syllables to her name. "Why would a pretty young thing like you want to get involved in the business between men?"

She tapped a finger against her chin. "Men? A boys' brawl in the middle of a high school parking lot is hardly worthy of an after school special."

Weevil took another step closer to her; she had to tilt her head back to maintain eye contact. "Listen, Blondie, I got no beef with you. You bring the Sheriff into this and there's no telling how uncomfortable your life will be, regardless of who your daddy is. Do you hear me?"

It should have been enough to make her run and hide, but Logan watched as Veronica closed the little space left between herself and Weevil. She leaned into his ear and spoke in a voice inaudible to anyone else. Weevil remained impassive but when she stepped back, he let her. "You get that done and we'll forget the whole incident ever happened. If you don't, however…" Logan wished he had his phone out to capture the moment when the local gang leader and the high school spirit squad girl shook hands. As Weevil and his boys backed away, he jabbed a finger hard into Logan's chest. "Blondie saved your ass from a big hurt, Echolls."

When they were alone, Logan turned to Veronica. "What the hell did you say to him?" He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her hard. Instead, he shoved his hands into his pockets.

There was a slightly glazed look in her eyes. She drew in breath. "I made Wallace tell me what happened. Weevil will let the matter drop if the tape Lamb confiscated from the Sack 'n' Pack fails to appear at the hearing next week."

"And how, Ms. Mars, is that supposed to happen?"

He probably would have been less astounded if she sprouted another head. Her eyes were clear when she said, "Isn't it obvious? We'll need to steal it from my Dad."

* * *

**AN: Ok, who saw that coming? :)**


	5. Chapter 5

-5-

He gaped. "Did you hit your head at gym today?"

Veronica didn't respond to Logan's question. "You work there now. You have access to the evidence room. And it isn't unusual for me to be seen there. We'll need to create a diversion."

"Whoa, wait." Logan held up his hands. "Wait, wait, wait. Who do you think you are - Nancy Drew?"

"I was more into the Hardy Boys, actually."

"I'm not doing that to the Sheriff. No way."

Veronica smiled. "My Dad was right. Logan Echolls does have a heart." She hurried up to him as he strode away from her. "Think about it! The PCH'ers are only going to get a few weeks in juvenile detention - a month, at the worst. Meanwhile, they're going to spend the remaining years we're all stuck here, making sure you, me and Wallace live to regret standing up to them. Does that sound like a fair trade-off to you?"

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you got yourself involved."

Veronica sighed. "Whether you help me or not, Logan, I'm doing this."

If she wanted to act in some form of atonement, it was fine with him. He knew what she thought he didn't know. He remembered what she thought he didn't remember. He didn't want her pity. Never had. He used to think, back when there was money and status, he'd been some sort of badass. Just another run-of-the-mill rich boy rebel without a cause. Oh, it just made him cringe - the smarmy self-entitled air he used to walk around in. Now that it had been stripped from him, and, he was subjected to it by his former friends, it was a constant source of emotional discomfort. He suspected Veronica might also have a similar discomfort - maybe survivor's guilt? She was different, too, if he stopped and thought about it. Something had rewired both their ways of looking at everything around them, because Lilly-alive Logan would never have helped Wallace Fennel and Lilly-alive Veronica would have never dared to strike a bargain with Eli 'Weevil' Navarro.

He was going to tell her she was on her own.

But. It would weigh on his conscience, as so many things did these days, if her plan did not succeed. After all, his Lilly-dead self did untie Wallace Fennel, and Lilly-dead Veronica did step in to stop a brutal ass-kicking from boys who were now all from the same, wrong side of the tracks.

Logan stopped walking. _It's a day full of mistakes_, was his top thought. _Why not one more?_ He rubbed his eyes with the underside of his palm. "We're not stealing the evidence, Ronnie. At least, not on a permanent basis."

Veronica frowned. "We're going to go through the trouble of stealing something just to put it back?"

"You want me to help?" He smiled sardonically and folded his arms across his chest. "Then, yeah. We're putting it back."

She made a noise in the back of her throat, a signal that she was annoyed. It brightened Logan's day. "You know I'm doing this for you and Wallace, right? Ok. Fine. Have it your way. It's going to take extra work, but… it can't be that much harder to put something back as it is take something out, right?"

"You appear to have formulated some plan already. Enlighten me."

When she was done explaining, he had to admit it - he was impressed.

* * *

That Saturday evening, Logan pulled into the parking lot in front of the Sheriff's department. He shut off the ignition but didn't get out immediately. He noticed he had left slightly damp hand shadows on his steering wheel. He wiped his palms against his jeans. "Ok, here goes."

"For the last time, Logan, my mom's roped my dad into some folk music thing in San Jose. Relax." Veronica sat beside him in the passenger seat.

He squinted at her. "Is it my imagination or do you look especially… girlish?" Her hair, which he recalled being tied back the day before, was flowing in soft curls around her face. She was wearing a baby-pink colored, ruffled dress. With ribbons. She tilted her head and twisted a long curl around her matching pink manicured finger. "All the better to distract. I'll be extra ditzy."

"So this is what Lilly meant when she used to say you had a dark side." He laughed. "I never believed her." Saying Lilly's name was so natural; the silence that followed was not.

"Yeah. Anyway… you should go." Veronica kept her eyes deliberately on her phone as Logan climbed out of the car. While he walked into the building without glancing back, she watched him and remembered things she didn't want to remember.

There were only a few junior deputies in the office. Logan remembered being introduced to the one at the front desk. "Quiet night?", he asked as the deputy gave a cursory glance at the work ID card in his hand.

"Don't jinx us," the deputy warned. "Last week, Montes said the same thing and then a tour bus of people looking for celebrity mansions crashed into mailbox."

"No kidding? Well, holler if it gets busy later. I 'volunteered' to do more filing in the rat room again. I swear Lamb has it in for me."

The deputy rolled his eyes. "He's the opposite of Santa Claus - he spreads misery wherever he can."

Logan made the appropriate sound of laughter and continued down the hall. The wooden floors seemed to protest louder than usual under his weight. He found the stack of files he'd been working on the previous afternoon and made his way down to the basement. Now, he needed to wait for Veronica to make her move.

* * *

Five minutes after Logan walked into the Sheriff's Department, Veronica received his text message signalling all was clear. She waited another 15 minutes before making her entrance. "Hi", she said, using her pep rally voice. The deputy at the front desk visibly perked up at her appearance. "You must be new…? I'm Veronica." She offered her hand and a winning smile.

"Leo", the deputy said while shaking her hand. She couldn't help noticing he had dimples. "Do you work here as well…?"

"No, silly!" She tossed her hair back. "The Sheriff's my dad."

"I should have seen the family resemblance. You're not going to tell on me, are you?" He said this while leaning in conspiratorially.

Veronica leaned in as well. Deputy Leo was making this almost too easy. "It'll be our little secret. But you now owe me."

"I live but to serve. How can I help the lovely Miss Mars?"

Lovely? Logan caught the exchange as he was passing by on his way to Inga's desk, where the key to the evidence room was stored. He kept silent to prevent Deputy Leo from turning around. Instead, he made a face at Veronica. She only leaned in closer to the Deputy and lowered her voice. "Well… I was going to come by and see if Sacks would help me get this ticket squared away…" She squinted up at him. "You know, without a fuss?"

"Now I know the Sheriff's daughter must know we can't do that… if you have a ticket for speeding, you're going to have to pay it off. Wait, is that why you came at this time of the night? Does your dad know what you're doing?"

She giggled. It made Logan roll his eyes. "Well… not exactly… But I thought maybe I'd try. I, um, brought cupcakes."

That was the last Logan heard as he pulled the keys from the top drawer of the desk and walked to the evidence room. The door opened without a sound. There was just enough light from the hallway to keep him from turning on a lamp. The Sack 'n' Pack tape was located on a shelf near the door. He quickly grabbed it and stuffed it into the inside pocket of his jacket. After closing the door, Logan headed out using the back entrance. Veronica's continued laughter reassured him Deputy Leo's attention had been completely captivated.

The drive to Neptune High was under the speed limit - the last thing Logan needed was to be pulled over. Wallace was waiting for him at the front steps of the school building. He rose from his seated position. "You got it?"

"Yeah. Do you have the keys?"

Wallace held out a keychain with the Pirates logo. "Who knew there really were skeleton keys? Let's go." They were easily able to enter the building and open up the technology lab located on the second floor. It took Logan almost an hour to finish the task.

"Done?"

Even though his own heart was racing, Logan said, "Jumpy, aren't we?"

"You're a movie star's son and Veronica's the Sheriff's daughter. I'm a brother. The odds are not in my favor if we get caught."

Logan laughed. "Good point. Let's get out of here." In another ten minutes, he had returned to the Sheriff's department. He felt his stomach drop when there was no sound of Veronica or Leo. With great difficulty, he restrained himself from checking on her and instead replaced the video first.

Then, with a deep breath, he walked out to the lobby.

Veronica was sitting on top of the reception desk, listening to music through her headphones. He tapped her on her shoulder and she let out a startled little sound. "Where's Deputy Do-Gooder?"

"Leo? He went to the parking lot to grab some CDs. He wants to me to listen to his band."

"I'll bet he does", Logan muttered.

"What?"

"I said, we can go now."

Veronica clapped her hands together. "See? What did I tell you?"

"Yeah, yeah. Turns out you're an evil genius. I'll rest easy once it's confirmed the case has been dismissed."

"It will. Lamb's record is working against him. He's too rash with his conclusions - you don't know how many times I've heard Dad say that."

"All right, well, what are you waiting for then? Let's go."

"Oh, um, I'm going to stay." Veronica glanced back at the desk. "It would be weird if I disappeared on him."

Logan watched her closely for a full minute. She made a show of looking busy, winding and rewinding the headphone cord around her fingers and looking at every object in the room but his eyes. "Right. Ok. See you Monday."

"Thanks, Logan."

That made him pause. "For what? I should be thanking you. I think."

"I don't know why I said that." Veronica let out an embarrassed laugh. "Yeah, you should be thanking me."

"Like I said, I'll rest easy after we know for sure we got away with it. Good night, Veronica."

As Logan reached the front door, Deputy Leo was returning, holding several CD cases. "Hey, man, you're out already?"

"Yeah, man. I, uh, I guess I had less work than I realized." Leo was barely listening. He was already walking over to Veronica.

* * *

The mailbox at the apartment complex was crammed full. Logan carelessly pulled it free. One of the envelopes snagged on the side of the mailbox, ripped and fell to the floor. He picked it up. They were still getting forwarded all kinds of mail for Aaron - some of them hate mail, some of them fanmail. Logan usually threw them away. But this one caught his attention. It was a notice dated nearly six months ago that was originally mailed to one of the movie studios. Logan was impressed it even made it over here; it was addressed to the attention of Ronald Echolls Murphy, the name with which Aaron had been born.

After reading the contents of the notice, Logan's only question was: For what purpose did Aaron have a security deposit box that no one knew about?


	6. Chapter 6

_Hi Readers! I may start including a summary of major events from previous chapter as we get deeper into the story line. If you think that's not a good idea, do let me know. Thank you for following and for commenting - I look forward to reading all your responses whenever I post a new chapter! If you have any guesses as to where I'm going with the story, I would love to hear your theories! _

-6-

**_Tuesday_**

"Oh my God! Get off of him!" The fist that was bearing down on Logan was abruptly yanked away. He grunted as his opponent got up and he involuntarily sucked in a deeper breath. Oh, his body hurt. He was aware that there was some yelling going on but could not focus who was talking and what was being said.

Logan grimaced from nausea as he slowly sat up. Veronica's hands were suddenly on his arm; her attempts to help him to his feet made it all the more difficult. "Veronica, stop. I'm fine."

"You're not fine. You need to go see the doctor. What if you have internal bleed-"

He was too frayed to reign in his temper. "Oh, for Christ's sake, will you stop? This is your fault, too." A part of him felt bad - all the blood had drained from her face - but then that only made him madder. "You walk around here like some goody-two-shoes little angel. You're two-faced, you know that? You make sure you stay on everybody's good side."

She had the audacity to look affronted. "That's not fair. I don't-"

"No?" He dug out the burrito in his backpack and threw it on the ground. "Then why am I feeling like an idiot for carrying this around?" At her silence, he said, "The line exists in Neptune. You have to choose."

"Logan, I'm your friend. That's what I've been trying to tell you all along."

His laugh was short. "Fine. Prove it, then. Friend." He left her looking pale and forlorn.

* * *

**_The Monday Preceding_**

"You're doing WHAT?"

"Don, you've heard me at least twice now. I don't think I need to repeat myself."

"Sheriff, for the last time, I'm telling you. Those were the guys in the video!"

"I wouldn't be able to recognize my own mother in this tape. It's unreliable and I would be fool to submit this as evidence in court. It's out."

Early evening was settling in at Dog Beach, the designated meeting point for Logan, Veronica and Wallace. "I especially like the way Lamb's voice cracks in the end", Wallace said. "Man, I wish I could have seen the look on his face!"

"Shall we hear that again?", Logan said as he waved his phone. Using the video editing software in the computer lab at school the previous Friday night, Logan had managed to blur out the faces of the PCH'ers on the tape confiscated from the Sack 'n' Pack. He had gone to work on Monday half expecting to be arrested for evidence tampering. Instead, he (the whole office, in fact) overheard the heated exchange between Keith Mars and Don Lamb. It hadn't taken more than a second for him to get it all recorded onto his phone. His face felt numb from laughing.

Veronica shook her head. "As much as I would love to, I have to get going." She pointed at the sun, which had descended halfway into the horizon.

"Vampire curfew still in effect, huh?"

She nodded. "Weekdays, at least." It was Lilly who coined the term "vampire curfew" - she'd been equally incredulous Veronica's parents had imposed both a curfew and the expectation that Veronica had to be home before daylight was gone. "But night time's when the fun starts!", Lilly had wailed despondently the first few times.

Wallace slapped them both on their backs, obliviously and effectively snapping them out of their Lilly reverie. "Ok, kids. Let's celebrate. I managed to score a few Pirate points - lunch tomorrow from Taco del Reino?"

Veronica looked taken aback. "Oh, um… maybe." She smiled brightly. "Let's see what the day brings." She waved good bye to them and hurried off to her car.

"She's pretty cool", Wallace said, before noticing Logan's dark expression. "Did you swallow a fly or something?"

"No." He snapped his phone shut. "I'm going home. Do you need a lift?"

"Yeah, that'd be great. The three of us make one helluva team. Don't you think so? We could start our own superhero league. With t-shirts and everything. We'd call ourselves the Triple Threat."

"Wallace, I hate to burst your bubble, but, it ain't gonna happen."

"Why not?"

"Veronica is an 09er."

When Logan didn't elaborate, Wallace said, slowly, "Am I supposed to know what an 09er is?"

"You know, the 090909 neighborhood?" Wallace's confusion didn't change; Logan continued. "My old haunts? You can't breach that circle unless you somehow can afford to live there. Essentially speaking, you and I, we're nobodies."

"And Veronica is an 09er?"

"Yep."

"And that's why our superhero league isn't going to happen… because of a zip code?"

"Dude, she's not going to have lunch with us. It's fine if we meet clandestinely at Dog Beach or anywhere outside of school. But wait and see - she's not going to do anything that will publicly jeopardize her status with the other 09ers. The 'have's' never mix with the 'have-nots'."

Wallace raised an eyebrow dubiously. "I think you're too hard on her. She seems pretty down-to-earth to me."

Logan snorted. "Just wait."

* * *

_**Tuesday**_

Weevil looked disgruntled when Logan played the recording to him the following morning. "Blondie was supposed to get me the tape."

"This is better than a tape."

"How do I know this is even a real conversation?"

Logan gritted his teeth. "Weevil, don't pretend to be stupider than you are. Your minions are going to get off. That means you lay off Veronica and Wallace."

Despite his condescending words, Logan knew Eli Navarro didn't get to be the leader of the PCH gang without a sharp intellect or good instincts. Therefore, the gleam in his eyes troubled Logan. "Why does a self-centered, spoiled son of a bitch like you care about some dopey kid and a cheerleader?"

"Just leave them alone."

Weevil made a show of sniffing around Logan. "Oh, I got it. You think this is some form of penitence, don't you? Sins of the father and all that?" The tone of his laughter made Logan's neck turn red. Weevil turned to go but threw out one last parting shot. "I'm going to enjoy the show, Echolls. I really am."

When lunchtime rolled around, Wallace made good on his promise. The delivery man promptly dropped off a bag filled with goodies from Taco del Reino. As Wallace paid for the food, Logan began to unload the contents of the paper bag. "Wallace, I know we're growing boys but this seems like an excessive amount of food, even for us. What gives?"

"One is for Veronica."

Logan made a sound through his nose as he bit into his food. "You're hopeless."

"She might not be able to eat with us today but I wanted to get her one on the small chance she could. It's just a burrito." Wallace looked over Logan's shoulder. "Look, there she is now." Before Logan could tell him not to, he waved at her.

She was carrying a lunch tray and hesitated before walking over slowly to them. "Hi."

"Hey, Ronnie. Forget that it was Wallace's treat today?"

She gave Logan a nervous glance then focused on Wallace. "I guess I did. I'm sorry, Wallace. I can't do lunch today."

"Oh, no problem, V. Right, Logan?" Wallace nudged Logan none-too-gently with his elbow.

Logan's impulse was to continue eating (mulishly) but he made himself look up. In a careless tone, he said, "Yeah, no biggie."

Veronica glanced over her shoulder. Meg and the others from the 09er tables were starting to notice her prolonged time with Wallace and Logan. Dick Casablancas was saying something which earned a sharp round of laughter from his cronies and propelled Duncan's head to swivel in their direction. He did not look pleased. "I, um, I should go. Maybe some other time, ok?" She didn't wait for their response before hurrying off. She could feel Duncan's gaze on her as she made the walk back to the 09er tables. It felt like she walked a mile.

Later, during her spirit squad practice, Duncan approached her when she was alone. Her whole body tensed as his shadow fell over her. "What was all that about, at lunch?"

"What do you mean?"

"Talking with Logan Echolls." He spoke in an accusatory tone. He spoke as if he didn't know Logan Echolls since they were young boys in grade school.

Facing Duncan wasn't like facing Weevil. She didn't seem to have any courage in front of her ex-boyfriend. "I was talking to Wallace, Duncan."

"Good. I wouldn't want to think you forgot who killed Lilly."

She bristled. "Logan didn't have anything to do with Lilly's death."

Duncan surprised her by grabbing her upper arms with his hands. He didn't hurt her but she let out a sound of distress. "What's gotten into you, Veronica? Now you're defending him?" He shook her, albeit gently.

"Let me go, Duncan. You're going to cause a scene." She spoke quietly but her heart pounded violently inside her chest.

"Yeah, let her go, Duncan." _Oh, no_. Veronica's dread further mounted as Logan appeared in her peripheral vision.

Duncan released her and her body swayed a little. Logan noticed and walked up to her to offer her a steadying hand. Before he could actually make contact, though, Duncan growled, "Don't you dare lay your filthy hands on her! I won't have what happened to Lilly happen to Veronica too!"

It was what Logan had been thinking, secretly, all along but to hear them voiced out loud, by Duncan, was like a brick shattering through a thin sheet of glass. Thus it was those words that caused him to fall to the ground rather than Duncan's actual fist. It was what kept him from defending or protecting himself as Duncan continued his physical tirade. Logan closed his eyes and let the pounding continue, numbly and wearily absorbing the pain. It was just as much his fault as it was Aaron's. Duncan was right. Weevil was right. The whole town was right to turn their backs on him.

"Oh my God! Get off of him!" Logan cracked open an eye in time to see the fist that was bearing down on him abruptly yanked away. The coaches had run over and was pulling Duncan off. Logan involuntarily sucked in a deeper breath. Oh, his body hurt. He was aware that there was some yelling going on but could not focus who was talking and what was being said.

Logan grimaced from nausea as he slowly sat up. Veronica's hands were suddenly on his arm; her attempts to help him to his feet made it all the more difficult. "Veronica, stop. I'm fine."

"You're not fine. You need to go see the doctor. What if you have internal bleed-"

He was too frayed to reign in his temper. "Oh, for Christ's sake, will you stop? This is your fault, too." A part of him felt bad - all the blood had drained from her face - but then that only made him madder. "You walk around here like some goody-two-shoes little angel. You're two-faced, you know that? You make sure you stay on everybody's good side."

She had the audacity to look affronted. "That's not fair. I don't-"

"No?" He dug out the burrito in his backpack and threw it on the ground. "Then why am I feeling like an idiot for carrying this around?" At her silence, he said, "The line exists in Neptune. You have to choose."

"Logan, I'm your friend. That's what I've been trying to tell you all along."

His laugh was short, disbelieving. "Fine. Prove it, then. _Friend_." He left her looking pale and forlorn.

* * *

_**The Wednesday Following**_

Logan slept badly the night before and woke up with only ten minutes to get to school on time. He grabbed his backpack (the contents of which he never bothered to unpack the night before) and threw it into the passenger front seat of his car. He had no intention of missing school that day but as he was about to turn in, he made a sharp U-turn and sped past it until he had merged with traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway. During the three-hour drive, he ignored the few times his cellphone rang. He was not in the mood to talk to anyone from school. As he approached his destination, however, he did place one phone call. He prayed the person on the other line would answer. The caller sounded surprised to hear from him. "Yeah, long time. I know it's probably a jerky thing to do to call you out of the blue and ask for a favor, but I need help. I need your help - but if you can't do it, I understand." He held his breath only to release it a second later. "Can you meet me at Lunar Ranch in 30 minutes? Thanks, I appreciate it."

The one small advantage to being a celebrity's son was that it still afforded him access to certain places. Lunar Ranch Studios was one of them. The security guard recognized his face and waved him in. He headed over to the production building. At the front lobby, the guard there asked him to announce himself. Logan pulled out his driver's license and said, "Logan Echolls - I have a meeting with Connor Larkin."


	7. Chapter 7

_Hi Readers! I've been vacationing so this chapter took longer than usual - I hope you enjoy and thanks for your patience! As ever, I'm glad to see that people are following Turntable and leaving comments. _

_When we last left our heroes, after a fallout between Logan and Veronica, Logan took off for a mysterious, impromptu meeting with Connor Larkin. What could it be about? Veronica was left feeling guilty for not standing up to Duncan - will she have the nerve to do something about it soon? Read on to find out!_

* * *

It had been awhile since Logan had personally seen Connor Larkin. During that time, Connor had done well for himself - he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his last movie and was starring in an adaptation of a popular young adult novel. Connor chose to give Logan a hug instead of a fist or chest bump. "You look like shit."

"You look like you're wearing lip gloss."

"Yeah, I just wrapped a photo shoot. They thought my mouth 'needed more pop'." Connor said it with a grimace and air quotes. "Enough about me. What are you doing in L.A. today?"

They entered a private office that Connor used whenever he was at Lunar Ranch. The office was small but had a good view of the Hollywood sign. Instead of sitting behind the desk, he chose to sit in the empty seat beside Logan. "It's about this." Logan pulled out the forwarded notice addressed to Ronald Murphy. "Did Aaron happen to ever mention a safety deposit box to you?"

Connor read the notice and shook his head. "His real name's Ronald? No. You know Aaron. Conversations never really went all that deep with him."

"Looks like the box was opened only a week before his arrest. That means he was probably here in town - did you see him? Was he acting oddly?"

Connor sat back, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. "I didn't think he was acting all that weird, but maybe just a little bit. We were meeting with the executives over at Coronation Films about a sequel to Canadian Mounties. He seemed… really distracted… but it also looked like he hadn't slept in days. He didn't say much during the meeting and seemed relieved when it was over. The next time we were scheduled to meet again he had already been arrested."

Did Aaron know that the police were closing in on him? If he suspected, why did he then decide to delay another week to attempt to flee? Logan focused back on Connor. "I mentioned needing your help on the phone. It relates to this."

"If there's anything I can do, sure."

"How close are you to the people in Props Design?"

Fifteen minutes later, Logan was being introduced to Melissa in her cubicle on the fifth floor. "Melissa is the best there is", Connor said. "And she owes me a favor or two. How's Dahlia?"

Melissa took out her phone and flipped it open. On it, there was a photo of a five-year old girl ecstatically hugging Connor at a birthday party. "Better watch out, Connor. Dahlia swears up and down that you're going to marry her when she grows up."

He laughed good-heartedly. "Tell her I'll be too old and wrinkly for her by then. Mel, this is my buddy Logan. Would you mind helping him with your special talents?"

She nodded. "Is this for a film project?"

"In a way. It hasn't exactly been green lit yet. If you know what I mean", Logan said, winking conspiratorially.

"How would anything in this town run if The Powers That Be didn't take their sweet time deliberating?", Melissa said dryly. "I'm assuming this is for pilot season?" She took out a notepad. "What do you need?"

It would take a few hours. Instead of waiting at the office, Logan and Connor went to lunch at a nearby cafe. Throughout the next hour and a half, fans stopped them with requests for photos with the movie star. After Logan handed the camera back to the last wide-eyed woman, he said, "You really like the limelight, huh?"

"What's there not to like?" Connor spread out his hands. "You get lots of attention and you're paid handsomely to play pretend."

"How does it not get to your head?"

"My dad told me that in my line of work, I can't take anything too seriously or I run the risk of being consumed by it. I think about that whenever my publicist tells me my face needs to be '110% sexy'."

Logan shook his head. "Hey man, I know I haven't always been all that great towards you." Connor tried to protest, weakly. "You and Aaron seemed to have this great rapport. He was always comparing the two of us. I hated it. I thought I hated you for a while."

"Well, I figured as much… when you tried to start that rumor about me being a coke addict a few years ago." He said it with a smile that took the edge off.

Logan coughed. "Um. Like. Yeah. Sorry about that."

Connor waved a hand. "Old news. I get it. Fathers and sons, right? Aaron was always too tough on you." He glanced at his watch. "I have a meeting over at Avion in half an hour. Good luck with the thing. I hope you find what you're looking for."

Logan leaned in for the chest bump. "Thanks, man."

* * *

Veronica was dismayed to see Logan absent from school on Wednesday. After Logan stalked off the field, she went into the girls' locker room where she stared at her own reflection in the mirror. Her mother would be home, wanting to hear all the mundane details of the school day. Wanting to know who planned to wear what at the upcoming dance. Wanting to hear all the teenage gossip. Thinking about Lianne unearthed a rather disturbing realization for Veronica. What she did today, not facing up to Duncan, was exactly what Lianne would have done. Small wonder the insides of her gut felt bruised.

Veronica closed her eyes. "I am not like her. I am not Lianne."

"Of course you're not, Veronica." Lilly, hazy, floated into her mind's eye. The reflection in the mirror showed the girl standing a few feet behind Veronica, one hand placed on a jutting hip. "You're the bee's knees."

"Logan's right. I'm not being a good friend."

Lilly flicked her hand. "Forget about Logan. You need to start thinking about what you need to do for yourself." She sat down on the bench directly across from Veronica's locker. "You can't let Donut push you around."

"You're right. But how?"

"Are you ok?"

Veronica turned abruptly to her left. A girl with shoulder length dark hair (save for one sectioned strip of blue) stood there, looking more weirded out than concerned. Behind Veronica, where Lilly had been, the bench was empty. Had she been talking out loud to herself? "I'm fine. Thanks." She focused more intently on the girl. "What have you got in there?"

The girl had opened a locker filled with circuit boards and other computer equipment. "External drives." She pulled and pushed through wires and cables, digging out a small black box with rounded corners. "There's just not enough RAM to power my applications."

It jogged Veronica's memory. "You're Cindy. MacKenzie. From Computer Club. I took pictures for yearbook."

"Mac. Just call me Mac."

"I'm Veronica." She stuck out her hand.

Mac shook it. "Yeah, I know. Are you sure you're ok? You were looking a little peaked when I came in."

"I'm fine. It's just been a long... year." Veronica let out a deep breath and a shaky laugh. "Normal isn't the norm anymore."

Mac snorted, but not unkindly. "Welcome to my world. I swear I must have been switched at birth or something." She stuffed what she had taken from her locker into a messenger bag and turned towards the exit. "Well, see you around." She gave Veronica an awkward little wave and smile.

When Veronica looked at the mirror again, Lilly was there again, standing even closer this time. "What are you waiting for, Ver-on-ica? You know what to do."

Lilly might be gone, but that didn't make her any less right. Veronica hurriedly left the locker room. "Mac, wait!"

* * *

The safety deposit box registered to Ronald Murphy was located in the basement of a bank about 30 minutes outside of Los Angeles. Logan was able to arrive just before they closed for the day. The bank teller in charge of the deposit boxes sat in a special booth that was encased in thin metal bars. It reminded Logan of old crime show jail sets. He showed the letter to her. "Ah, Mr. Murphy, we were just about to suspend your account. Would you like to extend the storage for another year?"

Logan shook his head. "No. I'd like to bring my things home."

The teller nodded. "Certainly. Before I can do that, though, I'll need to see your ID card." She held out her hand expectantly.

Logan reached into his back pocket where the fake ID Melissa from Props had finished an hour beforehand. The teller glanced at it long enough to make sure Logan's face was next to the name Ronald Murphy. "Please wait for me in Room 2. I'll bring the box to you in a few minutes."

When she arrived, she carried a slim metal box in her hands. Logan waited a full five minutes after she left him alone in the room to flip the cover open. There was only one item in there - a manila envelope addressed to Aaron. Logan flipped it over to undo the metal clasp. There were two photos inside. He felt his insides seize up.

One showed Logan eating lunch at the school cafeteria. The other one was of him lounging in a pool. Someone had then superimposed a bull's eye target over his head. Someone had wanted him dead. To what lengths had Aaron gone to prevent that from happening?

* * *

_AN: Thoughts on what's going to happen next? Theories? I welcome your feedback as the mystery unravels! _


	8. Chapter 8

_Hi Readers! Apology for the long delay! Writer's block would not go away for the last half of the chapter. Anyway, the mystery continues - thanks to Connor's connections, Logan was able to retrieve the contents of the safety deposit box under Aaron's real name. He found pictures of himself with a bull's eye target over his head. In the meantime, Veronica tries to figure out a way to stand up to Duncan so that she can be friends with Logan. It seems as if she has an idea, that involves Mac's abilities. What could she be up to? Find out now! _

-8-

On Saturday night, Veronica found herself standing outside of the Kane mansion. She approached the front door, which was already open, with trepidation. Her friends had been talking about Duncan's party a few weeks prior and seemed surprised when Veronica made the late announcement of her intention to go. It was the first time she showed up at one of his gatherings since their break up. She passed it off as a show of bygones being bygones. "Duncan and I are very capable of returning to just being friends", she insisted.

As she stood outside the Kanes' front door, however, Veronica experienced the sensation of the surroundings being familiar and strange at the same time. Could this be the same porch step where she and Lilly, while waiting for one of Veronica's parents to pick her up, used to whisper secrets to one another? The afternoons at the pool, the countless Friday night sleepovers?

There were two security personnel stationed inside the foyer. Jake and Celeste Kane might have been willing to let Duncan have a party but it was apparent they were taking no chances with their remaining child and heir presumptive to the Kane empire. Seeing the beefy men verifying the identities of guests sent a chill down her spine. It was no longer the same place for her anymore. Having found Veronica's name on the list of guests, she was directed to the backyard where the rest of the 09ers were gathered. Duncan was quick to notice her presence. He walked up to her, the consummate host. "Veronica. It's nice that you came. I'm surprised. But glad."

"I'm extending an olive branch. I know things haven't been the easiest but this -" She spread out her arms - "shouldn't be." He was nodding. "We used to be friends, a long time ago. Before all the complications. I'd like to get back there again."

Duncan clasped her offered hand warmly. "I'm really happy to hear you say that." He closed his eyes. "I'm really sorry about my behavior the other day. I hate the fact that you witnessed that...ugliness. I just feel angry all the time."For a minute, Veronica almost saw the boy she once loved. "I miss her all the time, Veronica."

She nodded. "I do, too." It was the one genuine statement she had made so far.

Duncan blew out a deep breath of air. "Let's not do this at a party. Go get something to drink at the bar. Enjoy yourself. Relax. That's what she would have demanded from us, right?"

"Absolutely, Duncan. Thanks" She kept her smile in place long enough until he turned around and walked away.

Meg was at her side, almost instantaneously, looking equal parts concerned and suspicious. "What was that all about?"

Veronica wiped her hand on the side of her skirt. "That was… a foot in the door." When Meg's expression didn't change, she said, "What?"

"I can literally see the gears in your head turning. You're up to something."

"Meg, I'm hurt and astonished you would say that." She did a quick scan of the crowd and the interior of the house. "You can make up for that by creating a distraction so I can sneak into Duncan's bedroom."

"Veronica!"

"It's not what you're thinking. God, I seriously hope it's not what I think you think it is. I need information."

"What kind of information?"

"The kind that I can use for leverage." It hadn't been Veronica's intention to tell Meg what she was planning, but out of all the 09ers, she was the only one Veronica could count as a loyal and true friend. They'd never been close before Lilly died. But there hadn't been space in Veronica's life for anyone else. She waited as a flurry of emotions flitted across Meg's face, hoping her instincts were on target.

Meg's gaze shifted in opposite directions. "You're like a miniature James Bond. Who am I, in this scenario?"

"Easy. You're Ms. Moneypenny. Of course."

She grinned. "Watch this." Meg walked - almost too casually - up to Cassidy Casablancas. She tapped him on the shoulder but didn't give him a chance to respond before pushing him rather unceremoniously into the pool. Laughter and cheers rose from the crowd, followed by a round of pool dunking.

Amidst the confusion, Veronica stole up to the second floor, escaping the guard's notice by using the overlooked servants' staircase. The air on that floor was cooler - causing goosebumps to form on top of her arms. Automatically, Veronica turned into the first room on her left. It didn't look at all like the last time she had been there - clothes haphazardly spilling out of the closet, posters and pictures splashed around the walls. Lilly's room had become white walls, devoid of her personality. Veronica went to check the air vent - it was empty. She didn't know what she expected to find - especially since her father had been more than thorough in his investigation. On the desk, however, there was a laptop. Could it be…? She flipped it open. A picture of Duncan and Lilly grinned at her. It was password protected. Veronica looked around the room. On a hunch, she lifted the desk lamp. She let out a silent shout of victory and silently thanked her father for his long afternoon lectures. "KANE4PREZ" allowed her to access Duncan's laptop. Pulling out the flash drive she borrowed from Mac, Veronica plugged it in while she reviewed the contents of Duncan's folders. Homework and pictures were the bulk of it. But there was a file, embedded in a folder called "Personal", that was marked "Journal." The document had been created almost three years ago and had been updated the day before. She clicked it open and scrolled to a random page.

_Lilly was giving Mom grief again. I don't know why they can't seem to get along. I told her she needed to be sweeter, like Veronica. Lilly just laughed and said Veronica was more than meets the eye. I wonder what she means by that…_

"Bingo." Veronica dragged the file into the flash drive and waited for it to copy over.

She heard sounds out in the hallway and quickly closed the laptop. The door opened. Madison Sinclair stopped short but was pushed further into the room when Dick Casablancas bumped into her. "Veronica Mars. Sitting in the dark in a dead girl's room. So creepy."

"I'm paying my respects. What were you two thinking of doing up here?"

Dick made a lewd move with his hips. "Maybe we could, uh, cheer you up. Can somebody say menage a trois?" He narrowly missed Madison's punch.

Veronica grimaced. "You're disgusting. The both of you. Find another room to mess around in."

Madison glowered. "Whatever. Come on, Dick."

Dick's parting shot was, "We'll be in the master bedroom if you change your mind" which only made Veronica's scowl deeper.

She opened the laptop again. The files had finished copying. Throwing the flash drive back into her purse, she powered down the computer and took the servants' staircase back down to the ground floor. This time, instead of making the turn to the pool, she exited the mansion, giving the security personnel a smile as she passed.

* * *

Later that night, Veronica sat back in her chair. She had read through the majority of Duncan's journal. His writing had been prolific - he updated it at least once a day, not sparing any detail. Veronica blanched at his chronicles of their heavy make out and petting sessions. After Lilly's death, however, his entries became sporadic, ranting against all manner of things and people, but saving the most vitriolic statements for himself and his parents. It was hard to understand to what he was referring in many of those entries. But there was enough. She picked up the phone. "Mac, hi. I've got everything I need. When can you work your magic?"

"Are you sure?" On Mac's end of the line, she could hear the staccato rhythm of fingers hitting the keyboard. "There's no turning back if you go ahead with this."

Veronica skimmed the text - she kept rereading Duncan's entry on the day Lilly died. "Yeah, I'm sure. Thanks for your help, Mac. I owe you big time."

Mac laughed. "Yeah, you do. I'll call you when it's ready."

After hanging up, she began to prepare for bed, her mind preoccupied not with the magnitude of what she'd done, but instead focusing on the events leading up to Lilly's death. She was supposed to have seen Lilly on the following day. Lilly's secret, presumably her trysts with Logan's father. Aaron's confession of having killed Lilly in her own home after she threatened to expose their sex tape. Something seemed off.

Then, it dawned on her. Aaron's confession. Duncan's journal entry. Logan. She grabbed the car keys and headed towards her car. "Honey, where are you going?"

"Dad." Veronica had been so focused on her own troubled thoughts she hadn't noticed her father laid out on the couch, watching TV on mute. "I left my wallet at the Kanes."

Keith pointed to an imaginary watch on his wrist. "Can it wait until tomorrow?"

She shook her head; her distress was genuine. "No. I really would feel better if I got it back right away."

"I expect you back asap, young lady."

She nodded quickly. "I will, Dad. Thanks."

On the drive, the neighborhood visibly changed from verdant and sprawling to cement buildings stacked next to each other. She turned at the sign indicating she reached Windsor Expanse. It was a nice residential building - modest but well-tended after. Before her father had become Sheriff, the three of them had lived in a similar complex. Like this one, each apartment had its entry to the street. She climbed the stairs up to the second floor and knocked on the door marked number three. After a few minutes, it swung open. His hair stuck out in weird angles and he gave her a cantankerous glare. "There better be a damn good reason you're waking me up, Ronnie."

"We need to talk."

He mentally counted to five. "This can't wait until Monday? Or are you still too ashamed to be seen talking to me for that?"

Her next words would shock him wide awake. "Logan, I think Aaron confessed to a crime he didn't commit."


	9. Chapter 9

-9-

_Hi Readers! Here's the latest installment - in the last chapter, Veronica steals a copy of Duncan's journal for her own purposes but also seems to discover a clue that indicates that Lilly's murder - and Aaron's confession - might not be as it appears. _

* * *

Logan pulled Veronica into his apartment and shut the door. "What makes you say that?"

She paced his living room. "Something's not adding up. I always thought it was strange that Aaron didn't put up a bigger fight during his trial - you'd think a big movie star like him would have lawyered up like crazy, but he didn't. I mean, Cliff defended him, for God's sake. And what he said when he was on the stand?" Veronica pulled the printout she had stuffed into her jacket pocket and thrust it into Logan's hands. "Read this. It's from Duncan's journal."

He gave her a sharp look. "How did you get your hands on this?"

"That's not important. Just read it."

_Logan hasn't been around the house lately. Lilly isn't answering my questions. So, they're having one of their spats. Again. (It's weird how much they act like Mom and Dad.) Dad said he saw Aaron heading out on the yacht bright and early this morning. I bet Logan's pissed - he said he wanted to use that yacht to get out of the dog house with Lilly. I would bet $100 he ends up playing video games for the entire day. _

He read the entry once more. "Lilly was always mad at me, I probably did play video games that day and Aaron spent another day on the yacht. So?"

"Duncan wrote that journal entry on the morning Lilly died."

Before Logan was aware of it, he had reached out and grasped her arm for support. His chest felt tight. "Are you sure?"

She nodded, placing her free hand over his hand and squeezing tightly. "Yes. I'm sure."

Logan's childhood memories involving his father were often laced with palpable tension. The few good ones usually centered around the family yacht. Aaron loved being on the open water - he claimed they came from a long line of fisherman from the old country. it was the reason why the Echolls resided in a seaside community town like Neptune instead of Beverly Hills. Aaron celebrated his first box-office hit by buying the yacht, replete with a sailing coach. He even acquired enough skills to participate in a few racing competitions. Though they butted heads on most issues in life, Logan had also been born with an affinity for the open waters. The times they spent on the yacht were the few where they didn't find reason to fight. "There's no way he could have killed Lilly at the time she died", Logan said, mostly to himself. "He would have still been at sea."

Anyone who knew Aaron intimately knew he spent long stretches of hours - days even - on his yacht. There might even be a way to prove it. "Logan, can we get our hands on the log book?"

"It's down at the marina. It was a year ago so I'm sure they haven't moved it to off-site storage yet."

"Meet me at the piers tomorrow at noon?" He started to say yes but then held back. "What is it, Logan?" She wondered if he could still possibly be upset with her from the events last week. But then she looked at his expression.

He looked tired and a little scared. "I don't know what to do if it turns out to be true", he whispered. "There had to have been a reason, right?"

She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "I don't know. I can't think of anything that makes sense. Can you?" When he didn't answer, she raised a hand to touch the side of his face. "Logan…" A million thoughts and sensations raced through her when his eyes met hers. She couldn't remember what she wanted to tell him, although it had literally been on the tip of her tongue and it seemed incredibly important.

Logan leaned in closer. She could feel the warmth emanating from his lips. "I have to show you something, Veronica."

It took her a second to realize he had moved away. She blinked as he returned a minute later, with photos in his hand. It was another second before she processed the images he was showing her. "What the hell is this?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. Last week, when I ditched school, I found these photos in a safety deposit box that my dad opened a week before he was arrested. It was under another name." He put both hands on top of Veronica's shoulders. "If there's a direct connection between what I found and what you found, it means that this could get dangerous. I mean, if we're right, that means Aaron was scared enough to go to jail over this. Duncan's right - I don't want what happened to Lilly to happen to you."

She pulled away from him, the skin between her eyebrows creased. "I have just as much a right to know who killed Lilly as you do." She cut him off as he started to protest. "Besides, you're forgetting how a great we were as a team in getting the Sack 'n' Pack tape."

Logan folded his arms across his chest. She was so stubborn. "Yeah, you were great at batting your eyelashes at Deputy Do-Gooder. Somehow, I don't think this situation will be as easy."

"I'll be fine, Logan. I can take care of myself." At his scoff, she straightened her spine to gain every inch of height she could. "If you don't include me in this, I'll take this straight to my dad."

He could feel his jaw tightening. "You think I don't want to take this to your dad? He won't believe us. Not without proof."

"So let's find it and show him. Together."

He knew she wouldn't let it go. She'd follow him out to the pier anyway if he told her to stay home. "Fine. Tomorrow at the docks at noon."

Veronica grinned in triumph. "Good. I have to go before my dad orders all the deputies to sweep the town. See you tomorrow, Logan."

He watched her figure until she stepped into her car and drove away, his mind and emotions in turmoil.

* * *

Logan arrived at the Neptune docks a few minutes before the appointed meeting time. It was another beautiful Southern California afternoon - the sun was out, there were no clouds in the sky and the water was calm. It was the perfect kind of day to spend on the ocean. He walked over to the pier that used to hold the Echolls yacht. Another boat was now docked there.

"Your face is going to set in a permanent scowl if you keep doing that."

She was standing a few feet away, wearing the kind of shorts that tickled every teenage boy's fantasies and a bikini top in lieu of a shirt. Her hands were akimbo on her hips. "A little self-reflection never hurt anyone, Lilly", he murmured. "Not everything in life is about having fun."

"Then what's the point?" She moved to stand beside him. He could swear he felt her arm brush his. "You used to be way less serious."

"Did he do it? Like he said he did?"She shrugged lackadaisically, which made him scowl again. "I just need a little help here, Lill." He was trying to look for answers in her eyes, but they had already shifted over and behind his shoulder. He turned around. "Veronica."

She was walking towards him, only a few feet away, tucking her keys into her purse. "Sorry, have you been here awhile? You looked like you were deep in thought."

"I was reminiscing." Logan tapped his foot on the wooden dock. "Did you know this was where I met Lilly?" At the shake of her head, he continued. "It was my first weekend in Neptune. The yacht had only arrived the night before. We were eager to take her out for a spin. Lilly was here for some family thing but snuck away to spend all afternoon with me." He blinked and took a deep breath. "Anyway. The dock station's over there."

Veronica nodded, checking the impulse to hug him. Lilly had in fact told her about meeting Logan at the docks. It was all she could talk about that weekend. The following Monday, she had sought him out at school and seamlessly folded Logan into the fabric of their everyday lives. It was an enviable and effortless ability of hers - she had done that with Veronica years earlier.

The station office was located about a dozen feet away. The interior was small but organized; a middle-aged man wearing a wrinkled button-down shirt and smudged glasses sat at the one desk behind the counter, staring into a computer monitor. He looked up when their entrance caused the front door to jangle. "Can I help you?"

Logan broke into an easy smile. "I sure hope so. Last year, we were having lunch across the street. It turned out that I forgot my wallet at home! It was our -" he gestured at himself and Veronica - "first date. How embarrassing, right? But this guy who was heading out to the docks stopped and paid for the meal. Saved my ass!"

"We never thanked him properly", Veronica chimed in. "He mentioned he was docked out here and his boat was named 'The Lulu' or something like that. Since we're coming up on our anniversary -" she said this while smiling demurely at Logan - "we wanted to do what we should have done a long time ago. You know?"

He placed his arm around her shoulders and looked eagerly into the station manager's eyes. "Is there any way we could find this information?"

The station manager sat back in his chair. "I haven't heard of a boat with that name here. But it sounds like you might have gotten the name wrong. If you want, you can look through the logbooks and see if that yields any results."

They looked at one another and then back at him. "That would be great, if you could let us do that."

"Sure thing." The station manager opened a file cabinet and took out a pile of logbooks. "Here ya go, kids. Have fun."

While the station manager refocused on the computer, Logan and Veronica quickly identified the book they needed to review. The logbook tracked the comings and goings of all the small boats in the area - if Aaron was here on the day Lilly died, they would know what time he signed in - and what time he left. Logan flipped through the pages quickly. Then he stopped. "Wait. What?" He called the station manager's attention. "Excuse me, sir, but there's a page missing in this book."

The station manager got up to examine it. His forehead wrinkled. "That's strange. It looks like a page has been ripped out."

Veronica said, tightly, "Would you happen to have a duplicate log entry book?"

He shook his head. "Sorry, kids, no. I'll look into this but I'm afraid there's little I can do to help you at this point. Looks like your mysterious savior will remain anonymous after all."

Logan ground his teeth together as he left the office. Another dead end. Was it a coincidence that the one piece of evidence that might have cleared up a significant part of the mystery was missing? Did Aaron do it? Or was it someone else? The same person who had sent the photos?

"What are you thinking, Logan? We could probably find out who worked at the station office that day and see if he remembers Aaron coming in."

He shook his head. "I think this is a sign that we need to be more direct."

Veronica stopped short as those words sunk in. "Are you thinking what I think you're proposing…?"

Logan nodded grimly. "We need to talk to Aaron."


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi Readers! In the last chapter, Logan revealed to Veronica the secret photos he found in Aaron's safety deposit box (and they might have even shared a special moment for a second there!) After crashing Duncan's party and getting a copy of his journal, Veronica realizes that Aaron was at sea on the day Lilly died. Veronica and Logan unsuccessfully attempt to retrieve evidence to prove their theory at the marina. Read on to see what adventures await our dynamic duo!**

-10-

Logan found Wallace giggling into the computer screen at the library during study break the following Tuesday morning. "Are you looking at porn?"

He'd never seen anyone turn a deeper shade of purple. "Man, no! And thanks for practically announcing it over the P.A. system." Wallace pointed at the screen. "I'm doing the purity test."

"What's a purity test?" Logan peered at the list of questions. His eyebrows rose.

The boy sitting directly across from Wallace lifted his head and addressed Logan's question. "It's this online list of questions of everything you could possibly do that's dirty or fun or illegal: have you smoked pot, have you ever shoplifted…"

"Have you ever done a reverse cowgirl?", Logan read out loud. "And this is fun because…?"

Wallace gave Logan a look that explicitly implied Logan's sense of fun was abnormal. "It tallies up your answers and gives you the score of what percentage pure you are. The lower score, the badder you've been." He turned to the boy across from him. "Butters, what's your score?"

"78. Yours?"

"70. I'm 30% danger-lovin', girl-touchin' rock star."

Logan let out a laugh and held up his hands. "Parents, lock up your daughters."

"You want to take the test after me?"

"No way. I know exactly how dirty I am."

Wallace looked at him speculatively. "That's right. Didn't you actually party with Nelly once upon a time?"

"I hate to burst your bubble but Nelly's a big nerd." He was about to go into painful detail when he saw Veronica headed their way.

"Hey, you have a second? Hey, Wallace."

As Wallace gave her a wave, Logan nodded and they walked into a private study room. "What's up?"

"You said you searched the rat room at work for anything on Lilly, right?"

He nodded. "And I couldn't find a single memo about her."

"Exactly. I was thinking that you should come over to my house. My dad is always bringing home case files from work. Maybe the reason you can't find it is because it's not at the office."

"Do you know where your dad would hide it?"

Veronica made a face. "He doesn't have to hide it. Mom and I almost never go through the stuff in his man cave."

Logan touched the back of his neck with his hand. "I don't know. Wouldn't it seem obvious?"

"We'll say we're study buddies. And, we used to hang out all the time."

He couldn't help but smile when she said "study buddies". It was so Veronica Mars - at least, the girl he used to know. He had the sneaking suspicion that innocent girl would not be around much longer. "Ok. I just hope your mom doesn't mind."

"Why would she mind?"

"She's never held a high opinion of me. I'm guessing less so now that I'm knocked a few pegs down."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about my mom. Can you come over tomorrow after school?"

"Yeah." He would take any chance if it meant reading Lilly's police file. Until he was able to speak with Aaron, he would need the file to know everything that had been unearthed during the investigation. And, he needed to know who else had been on the Sheriff's top list of suspects.

When they rejoined Wallace, Veronica looked nervously from one to the other. "I want to make up for what happened last week. I'd like to treat you both to Chinese food for lunch today." She wasn't aware that she was clasping and unclasping her hands. "That is, if you're ok with it."

"Ok with it?", Wallace said in his good-natured manner. "I'm never going to say no to Chinese food! Right, Logan?"

"You know what that means, don't you?" Logan crossed his arms and watched Veronica's expression deflate a little. "You'd better order extra egg rolls for me. And a boatload of duck sauce."

She smiled widely. "No problem. You never could out eat me."

"Hey I just got an email from you…", Wallace said. His voice trailed off. "Veronica, I think you need to see this."

The three of them crowded over his computer screen. She frowned. She hadn't had time to check her email all morning and the subject line "Check out my purity test score!" was unfamiliar. Then she read the contents of the email. "Oh my God. That's not true!" She had not, in fact, scored a 45 on the purity test. She had never done a majority of the things listed on the test.

"Whoa, methinks the lady doth protest too much!"

Logan was up in an instant and invading Butters' personal space. "What did you say?" He spoke the words slowly and quietly, never breaking eye contact.

The younger boy blanched. "Um… ah… uh…."

"I hear one word coming from you promoting these lies and I'm going to make it my goal to make your life a very unpleasant one."

Butters' face turned red. "Do you know who my dad is?"

"Do you know mine? The Echolls men don't take too kindly to threats." He enjoyed it a little more than he should have to see the boy squirming. "Are we clear?"

"Logan, stop it." Veronica grabbed his arm and tugged until he moved away from Butters. "What are you going to do? Intimidate every kid in school who says something similar? I need to figure out who did this to me."

"Do you happen to have a hacker's number in your phone book?"

She knew he meant it facetiously but it was helpful. "Actually, I might." She picked up her books. "I'm going to see if I can find her right now. I'll see you at lunch."

"I'm going with you."

She gave Logan an exasperated glance. "I don't need to be protected."

"You don't know what it's like. If no one else is making a big deal about the purity test, then, you get the pleasure of my company as you walk to your next class. But if it is a big deal…" He took a deep breath. "You have to be strong, Veronica. You have to not let it get to you. Do you understand?"

She bit her lip and looked at the entrance into the hallway with more trepidation. And guilt. She had never offered to stand by Logan publicly in the middle of his troubles. "Logan, you don't have to do this for me."

"Yes, I do. This is not a negotiation. Let's go." He opened the door for her.

She could tell by the abrupt halts in conversation as she passed that this was not some silly rumor that would be easily forgotten. She winced as someone muttered, "Who knew Veronica Mars was such a closet skank?" She heard the crash of that person being thrown against the lockers but she continued walking with her eyes glued ahead of her. Logan caught up with her minutes later, slightly out of breath.

Fortunately, they found Mac in a secluded art studio with relatively little effort. She was clearly surprised at Logan's presence but chose not to comment on it. "Hi Veronica. You want me to launch that thing today?"

"That? No, not yet. I need your help in another matter."

"Let me guess. Does it have to do with a certain purity test?"

She cringed. "You got it too?"

"I think it was sent out to the entire student population." It made Veronica cringe even more.

"Is there any way you can find out who sent it? And from where? I haven't been near a computer all day."

Mac pulled out her laptop and set it on the desk. After a few key strokes and some clicks on the mouse pad, she said, "It was sent this morning from one of the labs in school."

Logan peered at the screen - it was full of symbols he didn't understand. "And can you identify who sent it?"

"No. Someone used Veronica's school email account."

"But that would mean that person has my password." Veronica frowned. "Who has that information?"

"Renny DeMouy. We share him with the entire school district but he's here today and Friday mornings."

Veronica looked at Mac dubiously. "You know his schedule by heart?"

The girl grinned back at her. "You'll understand when you see him."

Logan smiled grimly. "Well, what are we waiting for then?"

* * *

Veronica stopped short when Renny DeMouy faced her. "Whoa. I mean, hi. My friend Julie, it's her sweet sixteen tomorrow and I wanted to change her screen saver to say happy birthday, like, as a surprise, but I don't know her password. I was told I could get it from you. She won't mind, I promise. We're like total BFFs."

Renny shook his gorgeous, French head. "I don't know what that means but I cannot give you someone else's password. They are confidential."

Veronica gave Logan a clueless look first before turning back to Renny. "Am I supposed to, like, pay you or something?"

"I cannot give it to you. I would lose my job. I'm sorry but…no way." He swivelled back around to his computer screen.

As they exited, Logan stopped her a few feet away outside of Renny's office. He said, "Did you notice that?"

"What?"

"He didn't look you in the eye when he said he couldn't give it to you." Keith Mars was always making those kinds of observations.

"You think he was lying?"

"Well, that and I saw he was IM'ing someone when you were talking to him. Now who could be Kimmykins69?"

"Kimmy Lawrence? No way." She had never had any issues with the girl.

Logan looked over her shoulder with disbelief. "Speak of the devil." Kimmy was walking into Renny's office. Veronica and Logan quickly followed and pressed their ears close to the shut door.

Thank God the school had been built economically. Instead of sturdy and sound-proof, the door only obscured their view of interior office, not the sounds. "You shouldn't be here…" Renny was saying.

"I had to see you", was Kimmy's response in her high and shrill voice. "No one knows where I am."

"Kimmy, I have work to do. It's not a good idea…" He was abruptly silenced.

Without thinking, Logan took out his phone, and opened the door. "Say 'I'm going to be convicted as a child molester'!", he said while snapping a photo.

"It's not what you think", Renny said, as he extricated himself out of Kimmy's embrace.

Logan showed the photo to Veronica, then waved it in Kimmy's face. She swayed a little in distress. "Let me guess - she was choking on some food and you thought the best way to save her was to use your mouth as a vacuum?"

Kimmy turned to Veronica. "Please. Tell him to get rid of the picture."

Veronica put her hands on her hips. "That depends. Did you hack into my email account and post that fake score from the purity test?"

"No!", Kimmy wailed. "I would never do that to you."

Logan interjected. "But were you asked to get Veronica's email information from your boyfriend?" Kimmy faltered. She looked at Renny with imploring eyes. Logan moved in between them. "Don't look at him. Look at me. Who asked for that?"

"Pam", Kimmy whispered in defeat. "But please don't tell her I told you!"

"I really don't think you're in any position to tell me what we can or can't do", Veronica said. She was more furious than she could ever recall being. She turned to Renny. "And you. You're a disgusting, lying… Frenchman!"

As they left the office, Logan looked at her in amusement. "Frenchman? That's the worst insult you could come up with?"

"I'm too busy trying to plot the ways I intend to humiliate Pam. I have no idea why she would do this to me."

"Don't you?" She clearly had blinders on. "It's because of Duncan."

"Duncan? What's he got to do with Pam and me?"

"Duncan still cares about you. It's obvious", Logan said as she started to wave her hands in denial. "She's been giving him the googly eyes even when you two were still an item. The question is, how are you going to get back at her?"

Veronica stopped in mid-stride. Her smile was devious. "Of course." She looked up at Logan. "I'm going to find Meg. I'll be ok by myself. See you at lunch. You're not going to want to miss it."

He gave her a funny look. "What evil idea is churning in that head of yours?"

"The kind that will make Pam sorry she ever crossed me."

* * *

Pam and Kimmy were sitting at one of the 09er tables when Meg walked up to them with a microphone in her hand. Trailing after her was another student on the News Club holding a video camera. "Hi Pam and Kimmy. I'm doing a segment on Hot Topics around the school. Do you want to be part of it?", Meg asked in a bright voice. They needed little prompting. "Great, great. So let's talk about the purity test. Have you heard about it?"

"Of course." Pam sat straighter and ran a hand through her hair. "Everyone's talking about it."

"Have you taken it yourself?"

She snickered. "God, no."

Meg looked slightly taken aback. "Really? That's not what I hear." She pulled out a piece of paper. "It says here that you scored a 45 on the test."

Pam stood up in outrage. "That's not me! That's Veronica Mars!"

Veronica, sitting only a few tables away, stood up and walked up to Pam. "You mean, you took it but used my name to post the score, didn't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Pam folded her arms across her chest.

"Oh? Kimmy, do you care to enlighten us with what you told me earlier today?" When the other girl froze, Veronica nodded at Logan, who had moved closer as well. He pointed at his phone. Kimmy had a choice - either expose Pam or risk being exposed about her illicit relationship with Renny.

She gave Pam a deep look of apology. "I had to tell her."

Pam bared her teeth at Kimmy. "Of course you did. Because you're spineless. Please start crying because you're not pathetic enough as it is already." She glared straight into the camera as Kimmy ran off. "What?"

"And there you have it, folks," Meg said. "The dirty underbelly of the purity test. Back to you, Lars."

* * *

Wallace whistled as Veronica rejoined him and Logan at the lunch table. "You don't joke around."

She grabbed an unopened container of lo mein. "Not when I'm mad, no."

"Looks like you're not the only one who's mad." At Logan's comment, she turned towards the 09er tables. Duncan sat there, grim-faced and red-eared, staring hard at her. She turned back to her friends.

"Let him sulk", she said, flippantly. "He'll be sorry if he tries anything."

Logan and Wallace exchanged glances of admiration. "Ok, then. Pass the duck sauce." As he was reaching for his first egg roll, Logan's phone rang. He picked it up. "Hello?" He listened intently and spoke terse words of affirmation before hanging up.

"What is it, Logan?" She noticed he wasn't eating.

"That was the asylum. Confirming next week's appointment with my dad."

* * *

**AN: I toyed with how much to alter the purity test story line. I initially wanted it to still focus on Meg but then decided to shift it over to Veronica. You'll notice that this chapter features prominently on Veronica's and Logan's school lives and the people around them - I did this because some of these stories were my favorite on the show, and, I want to develop the other characters, especially since some of them will play more important roles in the future. Stay tuned for the next chapter! It'll reveal more on Aaron's current situation!**


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